Method of operating reciprocating electric engines



(No Model.)

G. J. VAN DEPOELE. METHOD OF OPERATING REGIPROGATING ELECTRIC ENGINES.

No. 451,786. Patented May 5,1891.

(1444) auto 6 Witmm B LarZesI VanDepoeZe UNITE STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF OPERATING RECIPROCATING ELECTRIC ENGINES.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,786, dated May 5, 1891.

Application filed January 3, 1891.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE- 1 OELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Reciprocating Electric Engines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in electro-magnetic reciprocating engines, and comprises improvements upon the general .invention set forth in my patent, No. 431,495,

dated July 1, 1890, and in my pending application, Serial No. 365,546, dated September 10, 1890.

The invention comprises an improved method of operating the reciprocating drilling-engine, together with a novel arrangement of circuits and connections whereby the combined effects of a plurality of motor-coils are imparted to a magnetic piston adapted to be reciprocated therethrough.

The invention will be more fully set forth in the following description, and referred to in the appended claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits and connections of an electro-magnetic reciprocating engine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 1, differing there from in the addition of certain-circuit-shift ing apparatus.

In the drawings,A is the sectional commutator of a dynamo-electric machine of the continuous-current type, which, as set forth in my patents, Nos. 422,855 and 422,858, may be either a generator-producing continuous current or a motor run by a continuous cur rent operating as a counter electro-motiveforce device, and said commutator is provided with the" main ,stationary positive and negative commutator-brushes, indicated by the signs. In addition to the main brushes are two moving brushes B 0, arranged to be rotated about the commutator in any desired manner.

The reciprocating engine comprises, as here shown, three motor-coils E F G, and it should be understood that although I have shown only three coils, andishallidescribe the in- Serial No. 376,610. (No model.)

vention in connection therewith, the number of coils may be increased and other modifications made in accordance with the principles of the invention, the principal feature apparatus, whereby I am enabled to operate a machine of the type hereinafter set forth with a three-wire circuit, whereas, as pointed out in my said prior application and patent, four wires have been required to accomplish the same result. Furthermore, by appropriately shifting the circuit-connections of the center coils the propelling force applied to the plunger maybe caused to preponderate in one direction or the other. This latter feature I regard as of special value-as, for instance, where a very heavy drilling-tool is being employed, it would be of great advantage to apply the preponderance of power to retracting the tool or lifting it from the hole--that is, in drilling vertically downward, the conditions, of course, being reversed in drilling vertically upward. Again, where a very lighttool is employed the preponderance of power would be directed to the power-stroke in order to add to the effective force of the blow.

As set forth in my said prior application, the engine embodying my improved method comprises a continuously-magnetized coil or coils, the current flowing in which is of constant osubstantially constant potential that is to say, has no defined rise and fall. In the present instance, however, the constant- ,polarity coil is magnetized by a rising and falling current, so that while its magnetic strength rises and falls with each stroke or movement of the magnetic plunger the polarity of the said coil does not change.

As indicated, E is the central constant-polarity coil. E G are coils placed at each end of the central coil, and these coils are supplied with alternating currents. A plunger II, of iron or other magnetic material, is arranged to be reciprocated within the combined coils and is magnetized by the central coil. The magnetization of the plunger does not change, although it may vary in strength, and said plunger will therefore be alternately attracted and repelled by the alternating polarity of the end coils. The end coils are wound or connected in opposite directions, so that whatever their polarity like poles will of which consists in the improved method and exist at the extremities of said coils-that is, north poles at theirouterends and south poles at their inner ends, or vice versa. Current is supplied to the coils F G by two rotating brushes B O, which are rotated about the co mmutator A in any desired or convenient manner, and which, as set forth in my said prior patent, will give rising and falling alternating currents the rate of which will depend upon the speed at which the said moving brushes are rotated about the commutator. Conductor 1 leads from moving brush B to the outer terminal of coil G. The inner terminal of coil G is connected by conductor 2 with the inner terminal of coil F, and the outer terminal of coil F is connected by conductor 3 with the other moving commutatorbrush 0.

The central coil E has one of its terminals connected with one of the main stationary brushes of the machineforinstance, by conductor'at with brush band the other terminal of said central coil is connected to one of the alternate-current conductors, being, as shown in Fig. 1, connected by conductor 5 with conductor Since the local terminal 6 of the coil E is connected with the outer terminal of one of the alternate-current coils, this connection will be made at the machine, and consequently but three conductors l, 3, and 4 are required to extend from the source of current to the engine.

The local terminal. 6 of the constant-polarity coil E may be connected with either one or the other of the alternate-current conductors 1 3, as indicated in Fig. 2, where said local terminal ehas its conductor 5 provided with a switch h, which may engage either of the contacts I J, the contact I connecting by conductor 6 with alternating-current conductor 1, and the terminal J by conductor 7 with alternating-current conductor 3. By closing the switch h upon one or the other of the terminals I J the force of the movement of the plunger will be greater in one direction or the other. \Vhen the switch is closed upon contact I, the force of the plunger will preponderate in the direction of the coil F, and vice versa.

\Vere the central coil E constantly magnetized, the force of the movement of the plunger would necessarily be equal in both directions. With the present arrangement, however, the central coil receives only onehalf the impulses of the current-that is to say, assuming that four hundred impulses per minute pass through the alternating-current coil F G, only two hundred of said impulses will pass through the central coil E. This results from the connection of the local terminal of the coil E with one or other of the alternating-current conductors.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that when the moving brush 0 isin juxtaposition to the commutator-brush a the coil E will receive its maximum current, whereas when the positions of the brushes are reversed and the brush C is opposite or close to the com mutator-brush b, and the other moving brush Bin similar relation to the moving brush a, the circuit of the coil E will be closed upon itself and no current can flow therein,so that the coil E only receives every other impulse, which will necessarily be in the same dlrection. Naturally the magnetizing effect of the coil E upon the plunger will rise and fall, butthe sluggishness of demagnetization thereof will prevent said plunger from entirely losing its magnetism, although, of course, the force with which said plunger will be reacted upon by the alternate current or motor-coils F G will be least during the phase in which the coil Edoes not participate and strongest in the other one, thereby imparting greater force to the movement of the said plunger in one direction than the other, which ettect may be utilized as described.

While I have described the machine as having a central continuous-polarity coil and end coils energized by alternating currents, it must be understood that, as pointed out in my said prior application, and as will therefore be apparent to those skilled in the art, the coils may be differently disposed-forinstance, the alternate-current coils might be united to form a single alternate-current coil in the center of the machine, and the continuous-polarity coil be divided and placed at the extremities of the alternate-current coils, the electrical operation of the machine, however, being the same.

Various modifications and changes of the hereinbefore-described apparatus can be made without departing from the spirit or nature of the invention in view of the principles herein set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 13-- 1. A reciprocating electric engine having one set of coils adapted to be energized by an intermittent continuous current and another set energized by alternating currents having a defined rise and fall.

2. A reciprocating electric engine having one set of coils adapted to be energized by an intermittent continuous current, another set of coils energized by alternating currents having a defined rise and fall, and an iron plunger placed under the influence of both sets of coils.

3. A reciprocating electric engine having one set of coils adapted to be energized by an intermittent current of continuous direction, a set of coils energized by alternating currents having a defined rise and fall, an iron plunger placed under the influence of and adapted to be reciprocated through both sets of coils and to be continuously magnet ized by the constant-polarity coil or coils, and connections between said coil or coils and one or the other of the leads of the alternatecurrent coils, whereby the stroke of the piston will preponderate in power in one direction or the other, as desired.

t. In a reciprocating electric-engine system, the combination, with the commutator of a constant-current-dynamo electric machine and the main positive and negative brushes thereof, of a pair of auxiliary commutator-brushes adapted to be rotated about said commutator, a coil or coils in circuit with the moving brushes and supplied thereby with alternating-currentimpulses, a constantpolarity coil or coils, and connections between one terminal of said coils and one of the stationary commutator -brushes and between the other terminal of said coil and one of the moving commutator-brushes, whereby said coil is intermittently supplied with current of continuous direction, and a magnetic plunger arranged to be reciprocated through and by the action of the combined coils.

5. The herein-described method of operating reciprocating electric engines having a plurality of motor-coils and a magnetic piston adapted to be reciprocated therethrough, which consists in supplying an intermittent current of constant direction to part of the coils for magnetizing the plunger and alternating currents to the remainder of the coils for reacting upon and reciprocating the plunger.

(5. The herein-described method of operating reciprocating electric engines having a plurality of motor-coils and a magnetic piston adapted to be reciprocated through the coils, which consists in supplying alternating currents to part of the coils for reacting upon and reciprocating the plunger and in sending every alternate impulse-tl1at is, all the impulses of like directionthrough the remaining coil or coils for magnetizing the plunger.

7. The herein-described method of operating reciprocating electric engines having a plurality of motor-coils and a magnetic piston adapted to be reciprocated therethrough, which consists in supplying a defined rising and falling current of alternating polarity to part of the coils for reacting upon the plunger and in supplying every other impulse that is, all the impulses of like direction-to the remaining coil or coils for magnetizing the plunger, the constant-polarity coil also giving a preponderance of power to one direction of stroke or the other.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE.

Witnesses:

FRANKLAND J ANNUS, STEPHEN .TANNUs. 

